An Aberdeen holidaymaker has told how he used tablecloths to treat people wounded in the Tunisian beach massacre.
Brian Harrison, a former soldier, was visiting a spa at the Sousse beach resort during a two-week break with his wife when the terror attack took place.
A total of 38 people, including up to 30 Britons, died after the gunman opened fire in the resort on Friday.
Mr Harrison, 56, from Rosehill in Aberdeen, said it was not immediately clear what had happened.
He said: “I heard what I thought was gunfire. I told the masseuse and she said ’it can’t be’, and carried on.”
However as soon as he found out what had happened he rushed to help, using whatever came to hand to treat the wounded and support survivors.
He said: “I couldn’t find any first aid kits so I grabbed a cloth off the table.”
He added: “There were people who just needed someone to speak to – who could explain what was going on.
“My natural personality is quite jokey. And obviously you need to rein that in at times. But sometimes it can really help.
“I ended up speaking to a British girl who had shrapnel wounds and a badly broken arm. She asked if I could go to the hospital with her, so I did.”
Meanwhile, Mr Harrison’s wife – a surgical nurse – was also helping survivors.
Later he contacted the Tunisian Red Crescent to offer his help as a first aid-trained English speaker.
The couple have now been flown back to the UK.
The British Red Cross have sent four specialist psycho-social volunteers to support British holidaymakers caught up in the attack and has opened a supportline for people in the UK 0844 4631 345.
The local Tunisian Red Crescent also responded within minutes of the attack, bringing injured people to hospital and providing first aid and basic supplies to hospitals.
